Derby Talk

Derby Talk is a forum for Pinewood Derby, Awana Grand Prix, Kub Kar Rally, Shape N Race Derby, Space Derby, Raingutter Regatta and other similar races where a child and an adult work together to create a race vehicle and a lot of fun and memories

The PWD has become such a major part of Cub Scouting....Whether he expected it or not, his legacy will never be forgotten. For many it has four plastic wheels. We should all be so blessed & can be if we continue the tradition. Thank you Mr Don Murphy for sharing your vision with us. Our Prayers are ...

The actual kits in our Council store are finally glued shut. I bought 8 kits last week but we haven't tested the wheels yet. Stephen also asked the clerk for the 5-pack boxes of wheels. These were NOT glued shut & some were visibly worn from "pickers". "Picking" is a real sore subject with me. It go...

I hear you Dave. Check this out - I found this a little disturbing: About his young son's new toys this guy wrote in his blog: "I'm really hoping he gets into this, because I plan to team up with him in the Pinewood Derby like my father did. We're not going to join the Cub Scouts or anything -- I'm ...

We've never noted much warpage but we have found that taking out too much "meat" resulted in some nasty breaks especially at axle pods. To solve this problem we now choose a light block with loose grain (weak) & slice it into thin strips on the table saw. Stephen then glues the strips back together ...

I don't know who made this kit but it is the same as the one I used as a boy in 1972. The card isn't dated but the selling price had been hand written as $.69 which is interesting. Perhaps we can learn some more about this one? http://www.ctpumpkin.com/steve/pwd2.jpg http://www.ctpumpkin.com/steve/p...

Nice work Doug in the Woods. WOW! We use both depending on the task. Delta 14” 28B Band saw ca 1953 (I like older power tools) For all rough body cuts that need to be square or even for slicing the body into laminations for added strength. Craftsman 16" Direct Drive Scroll Saw (also older) For detai...

This is the same story I got from the hobby shop owner but I tried clear coating with both of his recommended products as well as some Sherwin Williams cc648 Acrylic Urethane. Regardless of dry time (4 hour tack to 21 days) the enamel finish from Kustom Kolor still wrinkled. I will never use this pa...

The good news is we had to reschedule our PWD due to a horrific ice storm. So we diligently sanded the mess of his car & started over. We went out & bought good old fashioned Duplicolor in rattle cans from the auto parts store. Believe it or not, once the base coat we applied from the rattle can, we...

Earlier in the Scouting year I started a thread about advanced finishes. We had a good discussion about paint options. I was encouraged to visit various websites that offer all manner of unusual paints that are not sold locally. Against my better judgement I took the advice of a local hobby shop own...

We did another lacquer versus enamel test today. There is no doubt that the Testor's Clear Enamel is shinier right out of the can with only 2 coats. But we can already handle the 5 coats of lacquer & tomorrow morning he can rub it out. Try that with enamel & it will be a mess. Instant gratification ...

We've used Testors & House of Kolor Kustom Kolor enamel paints & hated them for the slow soft dry. Lacquer gets the nod here & it turns out MUCH shinier when we're finished. We apply the lacquer over Zinser BINZ primer which completely fills the grain. We sand with 600 grit &/or 0000 steel wool betw...

We used a Belkin USB to Serial adapter however neither of the serial ends was fitted with the screws (both ends had female lugs?) so the fit had to be reinforced with good old Duct Tape where the serial cable meets our Grand Prix timer. LOL If you go this route MAKE SURE to secure the cables well. I...

Randy - Can GPRM be utilized to run this "multiple elimination" style racing? Can I at least still use it to time every heat so that if a very competitive situation develops I can still extract the data for on-site review? I believe this is possible even if the software isn't actually "running" the...

Wow! Dave - Don't worry. No one is trying to keep Stephen or Craig (most competitive builders in our Pack) from the trophy round. Just the opposite. We're trying to match like performing cars against each other DURING the race so that no one has to bear watching a car getting slaughtered for more th...